Donald Trump ’s ‘kakistocracy’ is not the first, but it’s revived an old word | André Spicer

When John Brennan used a 17th-century word to describe the US presidency, Twitter went wild – but what does it mean?Rarely does an ancient Greek portmanteau word spark a Twitterstorm. But that ’s what happened when the former director of the CIA John Brennan took to Twitter and accused Donald Trump of running a “kakistocracy”. This tweet sparked a13,700% increase in people looking up the word using the online version of the Merriam Webster dictionary. These curious souls would have found a terse definition: “Government by the worst people.”Related:'Slime ball': Trump attacks Comey after new book likens president to mafia bossContinue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Donald Trump Trump administration US news US politics Language Science Politics past Source Type: news